Growing Pains
by dr.oli
Summary: At 18 years old, Steven begins contemplating his future. He yearns to be independent and in control of his own destiny, but he can't bring himself to abandon his family and his duty to protect the Earth. 4/26/16 - Updates to chapters 2-4 to fit canon
1. Chapter 1

Pearl was meditating when she heard a noise from Steven's room.

Throughout the years, Pearl had perfectly attuned her senses to detect any disturbance within the Temple from her cross-legged perch in her chamber. When Steven was a young boy, she was the first to hear the whimper of a nightmare, the cough of illness, or, occasionally, the yell of a Gem monster attack in the night. Garnet had Future Vision to foresee trouble in Steven's room, and Amethyst had her frequent trips to the fridge for late-night snacks to check up on him while he slumbered, but Pearl prided herself on knowing exactly when trouble struck.

She opened her eyes and tilted her head toward the sound. Gems didn't have the same mechanisms that humans did for detecting directional noise, but she had picked up certain mannerisms from the natives of Earth through hundreds of years of proximity. What was the human saying, "When in Italy…"? Pearl shook her head. Human language changed so often, she seldom burdened herself with knowing all of its idioms.

As Pearl rose from her meditation fountain, the Temple Gate materialized before her. She stepped forward, and a beam of light slid across its smooth surface, parting the Gate evenly along its center. The pale Gem slipped delicately through the Gate before letting it close silently behind her. She squinted toward the loft that served as Steven's bedroom and heard the noise again. Was that a… grunt? A snore? She tiptoed forward noiselessly, then delicately climbed the staircase toward Steven's bed.

For a moment, Pearl wasn't sure what strange human act she was looking at. Steven was hunched around the bright rectangle of his phone, earbuds wedged firmly in his ears. The thick mop of black curls shadowed his face, bright with sweat and dotted with the blemishes of puberty. His body heaved and squirmed, and his right arm shook vigorously. Pearl abruptly realized what she was seeing.

"Steven!" she gasped instinctively. The boy's head jerked up, ripping the headphones from his ears, as he flung his blanket over his naked body.

"P-Pearl! I, ah…" he stammered. Face red and eyes wide, he watched mortified as his guardian staggered backward in shock. A second later, Amethyst and Garnet barreled through the Temple Gate, Gem weapons drawn and eyes darting around, ready to attack.

"Pearl, what's happening?" Garnet barked, holding her gauntlets aloft in a battle stance. She scanned the room behind her mirrored glasses, before resting her gaze on Steven. She lowered her fists and frowned quizzically. "Steven, what's going on?" she asked him impatiently.

"I think Steven needs a little _alone time_ ," Amethyst piped up, her Gem whip dissolving into a shimmering cloud. "Right, guys?" she growled, jerking her head toward the inner Temple. Amethyst grabbed the other two Gems around their waists and pulled them toward the Temple Gate. "Have a good night Steven!" she giggled, turning her head and winking at him as she shoved the other two Gems through the Temple Gate.

"We'll… see you in the morning, Steven," Garnet called. The Gate then closed, leaving Steven alone and sweating in his room.


	2. Chapter 2

It was well past noon before the Gems left their rooms. Steven was making a sandwich in the kitchen when Pearl came through the Gate. The two briefly made eye contact before quickly jerking their gazes away. Steven's cheeks seared bright red, while Pearl blushed deep blue.

"Hello, Steven," Pearl said, staring out a window to Steven's right.

"Hey, Pearl," Steven mumbled back, chin tucked into his chest. He slowly laid a slice of lunchmeat on the bread in front of him, forcing back the urge to bubble himself. The Temple Gate opened again, and Amethyst swaggered out into the living room.

"Yo, Steven! How'd ya sleep last night?" she snickered, leaping onto the kitchen counter.

"Leave him alone, Amethyst," said Garnet as she stepped through the Temple Gate. "Steven, we're going out for a while," she said, stepping toward the front door of the house. "Crystal Gems, let's go." Pearl and Amethyst muttered their goodbyes and left, letting the screen door fall shut behind them.

Steven let out a sigh, sinking into a kitchen chair. He grabbed his lunch and stood back up, and then moved into the living room. He flopped down onto the couch, took a bite of his sandwich, and looked around the beach house that he called home.

He had lived here for as long as he could remember. Well, that wasn't entirely true; he had lived in the Mr. Universe van with his dad when he was younger, but so much had happened in this house that his life here occupied a disproportionately large section of his memory. He moved into the beach house when he was ten years old, and in those eight years he had grown to call this his home, here with the Crystal Gems.

The Crystal Gems, he mused, wincing at the memory from the night before. It certainly wasn't the first time he had satisfied that particular urge in the house, but it was the first time one of them had walked in on him. Steven wondered how long they were going to avoid talking about it. The Crystal Gems weren't the most discreet about human functions. Pearl and Garnet didn't even eat or sleep, and while Amethyst did both with great gusto, she also loved to tease Steven. They were going to bring it up eventually, and Steven sighed with dread at the thought.

He finished his lunch and leaned back in the couch. He absently played with a lock of his hair which, much to his satisfaction now fell past his shoulders. He had decided to grow it out a few months before, and was very pleased with his thick mane of tight, black curls. Steven swept it back, squeezed it into a bushy ponytail and smiled, recalling how Connie loved to brush and play with his hair. He didn't see her as much during her school year, but he made a mental note text her when she got home at the end of the day. He paused for a second; it would probably be best _not_ to tell her what happened the night before, he thought, blushing.

As he glanced around his home once more, a peculiar idea crept unbidden into Steven's mind: If he had a place of his own, this wouldn't have happened. Steven was taken aback by his own thoughts. He had always imagined himself living with the Crystal Gems in the Temple, where he could help them defend the city from Gem monsters. But now, new visions of the future flooded his imagination, fantasies of independence and control over his own destiny.

Steven frowned and stood up, then turned and climbed the stairs to his loft. He flopped onto his bed, brow still wrinkled in thought. Sighing, he fished his phone out of the pocket of his shorts and stuffed his headphones into his ears. The day wasn't even halfway over and the weather was beautiful, but Steven didn't dare leave the house for fear of running into the Crystal Gems on the boardwalk. He flipped onto his stomach with a groan, then scrolled aimlessly through his usual online haunts. He glanced through his window at the sun, still high in the sky over Beach City, and sighed once more. It was going to be a long day.


	3. Chapter 3

Greg Universe woke with a start in his lawn chair, and stared in surprise at the Crystal Gems, who were standing over him silently. "Oh, uh, hey guys!" he stammered, still dazed from his nap, as he pushed himself into a standing position. "The car wash has been a little slow today, so, uh… Anyway, what are you guys doin' here?"

The Gems looked at each other for a moment, before Pearl stepped forward. "We think that, ah, Steven could really use some… human influence right now," she explained nervously. "We think… We don't… oh–"

"We caught Steven jerkin' it last night!" blurted a giggling Amethyst.

"You what?" cried Greg, shocked.

"Be quiet, Amethyst!" Pearl shouted. "This is so embarrassing…"

"That's enough," said Garnet firmly. She turned to Greg, "There is still much that we Gems do not know about human biological functions, so we thought we would defer to your… expertise on this matter."

"Ha, I remember being a teenager," Greg laughed, rubbing the bald patch on the top of his head. He smiled wistfully, "Gosh, eighteen years old. He's grown up so fast." He stroked his goatee in thought. "Well, what he could probably use right now is some privacy. I know that the whole house is his space, but that you can see into his bedroom from anywhere in the house. Maybe we can wall off the loft, build a door–"

"What about Rose's room?" Amethyst suggested. "His gem can open the Temple Gate; he can have all the privacy he wants there!"

"Well, that was Rose's room. A growing boy like Steven needs a place he can call his own," replied Greg. "Plus he can help me put the walls up and we can have some nice father-son bonding time!" Greg was practically giddy with excitement. "Whaddya think?"

"I think that sounds perfect," said Garnet with a slight smile.

"Well with the five of us, this shouldn't take much time at all!" trilled Pearl. "I'll start drafting some blueprints, and–"

"Actually, I think it would be best if Steven and I did this, just the two of us," interrupted Greg. "I mean, I still know a thing or two from putting that house up in the first place! Besides, I'm sure Steven must still be pretty embarrassed by this whole ordeal," he chuckled.

"He's not the only one," Garnet said, glancing at Pearl. "We'll keep out of your way."

"Great!" said Greg. "I'll call Steven, then I'll close up early and head to the hardware store. I think I still have all my tools back here…" Greg trailed off, rummaging through the back of his van.

"Goodbye, Greg," said Garnet. "Let's go, Crystal Gems." They leapt into the air in the direction of the Temple.

"Hey, can you guys… Oh," Greg said, turning to realize they were gone. He turned back toward his van with a smile. "Man, I can't wait to get started!"


	4. Chapter 4

Steven was drowsily stirring his cereal when his father arrived at the front door of the beach house. "Mornin' Stu-ball!" Greg called as he opened the screen door, revealing several buckets of paint and primer hanging from his hands. "Ready to wrap this up?"

"I'm ready to sleep in again!" laughed Steven as he finished his breakfast. He had been waking up at 7 for the past 4 mornings to work with his dad on building a wall around his room. The frame had been built and the drywall hung, so all that was left to do was to paint the new walls and install the hinges for Steven's bedroom door.

"Hey Steven, check this out," said Greg, setting one of the paint cans on the kitchen counter. "I got this really cool bright red paint for your room. It'll make the place a total bachelor pad!" He pried the lid off the can, revealing the glossy, vibrant liquid within. "Hey… it's pink!" cried Greg, squinting at the can of rose-colored paint. "That's not what it looked like on the swatch…" he murmured, tilting the can under the fluorescent light of the kitchen.

"That's alright, dad," said Steven with a smile. "I love it!"

"Well I'm glad, son," Greg replied, turning to pick up the rollers and brushes he had brought for the job. "I know how much you want to finish your room. Wanna get started?"

"Let's go!" grinned Steven.

By noon, father and son had finished painting the final coat and were sitting on Steven's bed waiting for it to dry.

"I forgot to mention how much I dig the 'do, man," said Greg, ruffling Steven's hair affectionately. "How long you been growin' it out for?"

"I dunno, six months or so?" Steven replied as he smoothed his curls. "But I'll never compete with the master!" he giggled.

"That's right!" Greg laughed, stroking his sleek, waist-length tresses. "This sweet mane has been rockin' out with me for thirty years, with no signs of stoppin'!" He curled his fingers into an air guitar and howled a mock solo.

Steven frowned slightly, then turned and looked at his father. "Dad," he asked, "how old were you when you left your home?"

Greg straightened his back and looked down at his son. "I don't know if 'home' would be the right word for it," he said hesitantly, "but I wasn't much older than you when I left my last foster house. I surfed on couches for a little while, working for minimum wage and taking night classes, but I couldn't stick it out for long. I bought a car with a little money I had saved up, and I hit the road." Greg smiled wistfully. "I dreamed of becoming the next big rock star, so I travelled up the coast, sleeping in my car and writing my first album. I met Marty a couple months later, that's when I traded in my old car for the Mr. Universe van." He chuckled, "Man, sleeping in a van is like staying at the Ritz-Carlton when you've been living in a sedan! I remember I was eating cold Beanie-Weenies for months afterward 'cause I blew all my money on the custom paint job, but I was on cloud nine. I finally had something with _my_ name on it, something that was all mine! Anyway, a year or so later I met your mother at one of my concerts, and the rest is history."

He paused and looked down at Steven, who was staring raptly at his father. Greg smiled tenderly at him and put an arm around his shoulder. "Son, I know you must have it pretty hard right now. Your experience is unlike anyone else's in this entire universe. You've got Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl to teach you magic stuff, and your ol' man is here to help you through the human stuff, but a lot of this is gonna be you discovering entirely new stuff. Listen," he continued, turning his body and planting his hands on Steven's shoulders. "I don't think too much about leaving my old home. But not a day goes by that I don't think about finally finding my new home here, with the people I love and trust. So, whatever you decide to do with your life, I… I hope you find that too."

Greg and Steven looked at each other for a long moment, before Greg cleared his throat and rose from the bed. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Wanna grab a pie from Fish Stew Pizza?"

Steven smiled. "That sounds great, Dad."


	5. Chapter 5

Pearl and Amethyst were sitting cross-legged on the floor of the Crystal Temple's central chamber when Garnet finally joined them. She silently took her seat, mirrored glasses gleaming under the red glow of the Crystal Heart. Garnet glanced at the two Gems seated with her in a triangular formation and felt a slight twinge of absence; Steven usually sat beside her during important Crystal Gem meetings.

Adjusting her glasses, Garnet finally spoke. "We need to talk about Steven."

"Oh Garnet, can't we just forget about all this?" cried a flustered Pearl. "Steven has his room now, and we're giving him his privacy, so now we can move on from this embarrassing affair–"

"This isn't about that incident," interrupted Garnet. She heaved a sigh, "I mean we need to start considering Steven's future. He's growing up, and we're going to start facing a lot of difficult questions."

"Yeah, like whether or not he can even use that thing!" blurted Amethyst, doubled over with laughter.

"Amethyst that's not funny!" wailed Pearl, blushing and covering her eyes.

"No, she's… sort of right," admitted Garnet. Amethyst sat back up and raised her eyebrows in surprise. Garnet continued, "We don't know anything about Steven's physiology. He's been aging and at the human rate for the past sixteen years, but we don't know if or when that will slow down. We don't know if he's going to live for a hundred years, or five hundred, or a hundred thousand!" Garnet clenched her fists in frustration. "We don't know if he can die of sickness or age, we don't know if he can regenerate inside his gem, we don't know _anything_." Exhaling, she relaxed her hands and contemplated the crimson gemstones on her palms. She lifted her head and looked at Amethyst and Pearl. "We need to be prepared for whatever might be in store for him."

None of the Crystal Gems said a word, until Amethyst finally broke their uneasy silence. "Honestly, Garnet," she began, "we weren't really prepared for any of this, and I think we've been doing okay." She smiled, "Hell, I know I've been making it up as I go." Pearl chuckled quietly and even Garnet's mouth broke into a smirk. "And you guys have always been totally great at rolling with the punches. You've been awesome parents, or mentors, or whatever to Steven," she continued, "but we can't hold his hand forever. Like, he's gonna have to start figurin' stuff out on his own. He's gotta be his own Gem, er… person." She paused. "He's gotta be his own man."

"You don't think…" said Pearl anxiously, "you don't think he's going to leave us, do you? I know some of us can be a tad bit overprotective…" Amethyst snorted, and Pearl shot her a fierce glare, "but he knows we love him and would do anything for him!"

"It's not about us," Garnet replied. "Steven is walking down a path that none of us have ever traveled before. We will be there to offer whatever help we can, but it is ultimately his life, and he must be the master of his own destiny."

"I guess you're right," Pearl said with a wan smile. She laughed, "Gosh, is this what human parents go through? I'm a total wreck."

Amethyst stood up and walked over to Pearl. "Oh come on, P." she said, giving Pearl a bear hug, "you're always a wreck!"

"Ohh!" Pearl growled in mock anger. "You're going to be wrecked when I'm through with you!" She leapt into the air and chased a giggling Amethyst into the labyrinthine corridors of the Crystal Temple.

Garnet unfolded her legs and rose from the stone floor. She looked after her companions with a tender smile, then turned and walked toward her room.


	6. Chapter 6

"I think that's about it for today's session," said Connie, making a few final marks on Steven's paper and handing it back to him. "If you want some extra practice, you can do problems 1 through 25 at the end of the chapter. Especially focus on the multiplication problems; I know times tables aren't your strong suit." She slipped a bookmark in the study guide and set it on Steven's nightstand before lying back on his bed.

It was Sunday afternoon which, for the past few months, meant Connie came over to the beach house and tutored Steven. Though the two friends certainly enjoyed these weekly visits, the arrangement was actually Dr. and Mr. Maheswaran's idea. Connie had feared the worst from her parents when they found out that Steven had never attended school, but they were surprisingly understanding about his situation. So with their blessing and the enthusiastic approval of the Crystal Gems and Greg, Connie started helping Steven study for his G.E.D.

"School's out!" yelled Steven, throwing his notes into the air.

"Hey, watch it!" Connie giggled, swatting a piece of paper away from her face. "Don't make me give you homework, young man! By the way," she said scanning the freshly built walls, "I don't think I've told you yet how much I like your new room. I really love the color you picked!"

"Yeah, that was kind of an accident," Steven laughed and reclined back on his bed next to his friend. "But I like the way it turned out!"

"What made you want to wall it in anyway?" Connie asked. "I mean, I really like it now, but I kind of liked the way you had it before too."

"It was actually my dad's idea," Steven replied, blushing slightly. "I, uh, told him how the Crystal Gems sometimes woke me up when they went on night missions. He figured I could use some privacy, ya know, from everyone walking around in the middle of the night. It's hard to get a good eight hours around a bunch of people who don't need sleep!" He chuckled nervously and quickly changed the subject. "So are you going to stay for dinner tonight?" Steven asked, propping himself up on his elbow. He grinned, "We can watch _Under the Knife_ afterwards."

"That sounds tempting," Connie replied, "but I have to get back early tonight. Mom wants me to finish my college application essay, so I need to think of a significant event in my life that didn't involve magical space rocks."

"College applications, huh? Where are you applying to? Wait, don't tell me," he gasped in mock horror. "Please don't say University of Keystone!"

Connie laughed, "Don't worry, I won't let a square pizza anywhere near me! Actually," she sat up on the bed and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear nervously, "I'm applying for early admission to Ivyhill College." She looked down at Steven, who was staring at her blankly. "It's… a really good college, and it has like, the best engineering program in the country. Look," she brought up the school's website on her phone and handed it to Steven. He scrolled through images depicting stately courtyards framed with vine-covered brick buildings, alternated with pictures of attractive twentysomethings frowning in concentration over thick tomes full of complex figures.

"It's kind of everyone's dream college," she continued. "It's the standard by which all other universities are measured. They literally wrote the book on higher education! Well, the former dean wrote it, but he published it through the university's press. Anyway, if I apply for early admission and I get accepted, I could be eligible for a full ride. It's a really great opportunity. So…" she paused for a moment, searching Steven's face for a reaction. "What do you think?"

"What do you mean?" he grinned, "It sounds great! What's not to love?"

"Well," Connie sighed, "it's four hundred miles away. It's like a six-hour drive, so I would only be able to visit on breaks. We…" she swallowed hard, "we would barely see each other."

Steven frowned and sat up on the edge of the bed, considering how these new circumstances would affect his and Connie's unique and complicated relationship. They had shared their deepest secrets and insecurities, fought Gem monsters side by side, fused into a single being; in short, their lives were inextricably bound. They had been best friends for years, and it was almost common knowledge that the connection they had was more than platonic, but Steven and Connie were satisfied to let their unexplored affection lie comfortably below the surface of their friendship. Well, Steven thought, mostly satisfied.

"Hey," Steven finally said, turning to Connie with a tender smile, "if this is something you really want, I couldn't make myself stand in your way. Besides, we can still be long-distance best friends. We can text each other every day, and do our tutoring sessions over video chat, and I'm sure there's a warp pad nearby, or I could ride Lion to visit you!"

Connie looked up at him in surprise, and her face relaxed into a relieved grin. "Thanks, Steven. Not just for being so great about this, but for supporting me in anything I do. I know I'm not cool or magical, but you're always there for me, so I just wanna say thanks."

Steven beamed back at her, "Hey, you're pretty cool in my book!"

They gazed at each other in silence for a moment. Connie opened her mouth, as if to speak, but she was interrupted when her phone suddenly buzzed to life. She fished it out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. "That's my cue," she said glumly. She looked back at Steven. "I've got to go, but I'll text you later, okay?"

"Alright, I'll do my homework if you do yours!" Steven teased.

Connie rose from the bed and walked with Steven down the bedroom stairs to the front door. "Goodbye Steven. See you again next Sunday!"

"Bye, Connie!" he replied. He stood in the living room with his hands in the pockets of his jeans as Connie let the screen door fall shut behind her, and then he was alone in the beach house once again.


	7. Chapter 7

Steven was playing a video game in his room when he heard a knock on his door. Based on the brisk and even rhythm of the sound, he concluded that Pearl must be on the other side. "Come in!" he called, pressing the pause button.

Pearl opened the door just enough to slip her face into the gap. "Steven, would you come into the living room, please?" she chirped. "We have a special mission to discuss."

"You bet!" Steven cheered as he sprung from his bed. He scrambled down the stairs and flung himself onto the couch, facing the Crystal Gems. "So what's the mission?" he grinned.

Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl looked at each other excitedly, and Pearl finally blurted out, "We found the Quartz Cathedral!"

"What's that?" asked Steven, smiling. He hadn't seen the Crystal Gems this thrilled about a mission in a long time, and the feeling was contagious.

Pearl took a deep breath and closed her eyes, and a beam of light shone from her gem into the shape of a tall, pointed mineral formation. "The Quartz Cathedral was the Crystal Gems' first command post during the rebellion against the Homeworld. It was a veritable fortress in its day." The holographic image rotated slowly. "We were in the process of expanding our operations into several Temples, including this one, when we were besieged by the Homeworld army. Rose Quartz ordered her Gems to warp to their respective Temples, but she didn't have time to move or destroy the weapons and Gem artifacts inside the Cathedral." Pearl frowned with that memory, "We couldn't afford to let the enemy use our resources against us. Rose made a plan to warp the Crystal Heart of the Cathedral deep into Crystal Gem-controlled territory, which would move the entire structure around it. But Crystal Hearts are not easily uprooted, and the process of warping them is very difficult. Something went wrong, and the Heart became unstable in the warp stream." The hologram dissolved. "We lost the Quartz Cathedral, and it's been missing ever since. Honestly, we thought it had disintegrated in the warp stream, but Garnet saw it! This is so great!"

"Alright!" shouted Steven. "So what are we waiting for? Let's boot up the ol' warp pad and get goin'!"

"We can't," said Garnet, frowning. Steven looked up at her in surprise, and she continued, "When the Cathedral destabilized in the warp stream, it must have created some kind of warp irregularity in nearby streams. None of the warp pads within a hundred miles are safe to use. Even Lion couldn't take us any closer through a portal without risking its structural integrity." She adjusted her glasses. "Normally we would go on foot, but covering the entire area of the Cathedral would take us days. It just wouldn't be worth the trouble of going back and forth from the Temple every day." She smiled at Steven, "That's where you come in. This is going to be a solo mission."

Steven's eyes widened in surprise, "You want me to go to the Quartz Cathedral by myself?"

Garnet nodded, "We can't risk leaving the Temple unguarded for such a long amount of time, and there is still corrupted Gem activity that we need to attend to." Her face softened into a tender smile. "But most of all, we think you're ready to handle yourself on your own. That is, if you feel you're ready."

Steven looked down at his hands and considered Garnet's words. He cleared his throat and looked back up at the Crystal Gems, "Tell me about this mission."

"Your main objective," explained Garnet, "will be to secure the Cathedral, and to make sure that there are no corrupted Gems on the premises. Then you need to look for any Gem artifacts that survived the trip. Even if they're broken or inoperative, they need to be accounted for."

"The Quartz Cathedral is an enormous structure," Pearl commented anxiously. "If you decide to go on this mission, you should know that you will be there by yourself for days on end, maybe even a couple of weeks. We understand if you want to take some time to think about it–"

"I'll do it," Steven replied firmly, straightening his back with determination. He looked back at the Crystal Gems and studied their faces; they were beaming with pride, but he could tell there was sadness behind their smiles. Steven slid off of the couch and settled cross-legged on the floor at their feet. "I'll always be a part of the team, but I'm at a point in my life where I need to find out what I'm capable of on my own. Anyway, I'm really glad you trust me enough to let me do this alone, and I just wanna say that… that I love you guys." He looked up at the Crystal Gems behind him, waiting for a response.

"Ah Steven," said Amethyst, tears streaming down her face, "we love ya right back!" She leapt off the couch and flung her arms around him in a tight bear hug.

"She's right Steven," Pearl agreed, "we love you too." She folded her legs and crouched next to him, joining the embrace.

"And we're going to miss you, cutie pie," said Garnet as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the three.

"Aw, cut it out," Steven laughed as he wiped away a tear. "I'm not gonna be gone for that long. Besides," he grinned, "now you don't have to worry about what I'm doin' in my room!"

The Crystal Gems laughed, and held him even tighter.


	8. Chapter 8

Steven was in his living room packing the last of his supplies when he heard the screen door swing open. He turned and saw Lion padding through the doorway.

"Hey buddy! Think you can fit one more bag in there?" Steven smiled, hoisting a duffel bag to his shoulder. He had already packed a tent, sleeping bag, cot, and a box full of various nonperishable foods into Lion's forehead pocket dimension, but he still needed to fit his duffel bag of clothes in too. He knew that the strange, pink place inside Lion's head was not entirely connected to the strange, pink animal's reality, but Steven was always careful not to unduly overburden his companion.

Lion snorted with disinterest and bowed his head slightly, which Steven took as permission to continue. As he lifted the bag to Lion's head, a bright circle materialized on the creature's forehead, and the bag disappeared in a pink glow.

"Good boy," Steven cooed, scratching behind Lion's ear. He then led his steed out the screen door, where the Gems were waiting outside with Greg and Connie.

"Here he is, my wayward son!" Greg called out as Steven descended the stairs. "Are you ready to forge your own path and find your destiny, against all odds and in the face of certain peril?" Greg waved his hands dramatically, and he and Steven shared a laugh.

"I wouldn't exactly say 'peril,'" Pearl chimed in. "If the Cathedral is as venerable a fortress as it was five thousand years ago, I'm sure there isn't a threat on Earth that could breach its walls. As for you Steven, since you have the Rose Quartz Gem, you should be able to pass through any of its doors without incident."

"But be very careful of your surroundings," warned Garnet. "The Quartz Cathedral is littered with booby-traps. Some of them may not recognize your Gem, so you'll have to diffuse them." Garnet's gaze softened, and she put a hand on Steven's face. "I have faith in your abilities, Steven, and I am so proud of you." Steven blushed, then smiled and put his hand on Garnet's.

He turned to Amethyst next, who didn't hesitate to wrap him in a bear hug. "Watch your back out there, knucklehead," she grinned, stretching her arm upward to give him a noogie.

"Quit messing up my hair!" Steven laughed, and he playfully punched at Amethyst's arm.

"Oh, you two knock it out," Pearl grumbled, but she couldn't help but smile. Steven straightened up, and Pearl smoothed down his tousled hair. "Be careful, and come back soon," she said as Steven wrapped her in a hug.

"Alright, alright, my turn next," grinned Greg. He put his hands on Steven's shoulders, and heaved a great sigh. "Your mother would be so proud of you," he beamed, "and I am too. You've grown into a strong, kind, and brave young man. Good luck out there, kiddo. I love you."

"Thanks dad, I love you too," Steven replied, hugging his father tightly. They stood together like that for a long moment, before Greg pulled away, wiping his eyes.

"Alright Connie, he's all yours," Greg smiled, and winked at his son.

"You better text me every day!" Connie blurted out. "And don't forget to study your workbook every night, and I'll try to video chat with you on Sundays so you don't fall behind, and call me if you can, and, and… and…" Her face was red, and tears were forming at the corners of her eyes. Steven moved forward and wrapped her in his arms. She clung to his shoulders breathing heavily for a moment before calming down. "Just be careful," she said softly. "Are you sure you don't want your mother's sword?"

"Of course not," Steven smiled, leaning back to look his dear friend in the eyes. "I want you to have it in case you need it. Besides," he laughed, "you're way more skilled than I am with it."

Connie smiled. "You're right about that!" she teased. She and Steven locked eyes for a moment, then looked away. She hugged him once more, then they let go.

"Don't worry, guys," Steven said to them all with a smile, "I won't be gone that long. I'll be back before you know it!" He climbed onto Lion's back and waved at everyone. Lion leapt forward, and in a few long bounds they were both out of sight.

As they set off, Steven couldn't help but smile. He knew he would miss his loved ones, but with the wind in his hair and the landscape blurring past, he felt a surge of excitement for the adventures that lay ahead.


End file.
